There was scant broadcast network coverage of the murder trial of Kermit Gosnell, the doctor who ran a Philadelphia abortion clinic and was convicted later on three counts of murder. But the 11-hour, pro-abortion filibuster of Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis? Her effort last month to derail Texas. Gov. Rick Perry’s late-term abortion bill found a ready audience.

According to a painstaking study from the Culture and Media Institute, the Democrat received three times as much coverage from ABC, NBS and CBS, who transformed her into a “folk hero” and “an instant celebrity - a comely blonde single mom who stood up for ‘women’s health’ in pink tennis shoes, fighting against ‘severe’ abortion restrictions,” the researchers said.

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And the numbers: In the 19 days following her filibuster, the networks devoted 40 minutes, 48 seconds of their news programs to stories on the lawmaker. That’s more than three times the 13 minutes, 30 seconds they gave Gosnell during his entire 58-day trial.

“This is an epic example of how ‘journalists’ spin the news. The broadcast networks only reluctantly cover when an abortion doctor turns baby butcher, but when an unknown politician gives a pro-abortion filibuster she becomes an instant celebrity. ABC, CBS and NBC have become little more than liberal front groups,” says Dan Gainor, vice president of the conservative watchdog group.